


Hold On (The Break)

by Novaviis



Series: Watercolour [16]
Category: Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: (almost but not quite), Angst with a Happy Ending, Break Up, Drama & Romance, Established Relationship, Fluff, Fluffy Ending, Happy Ending, M/M, Relationship Issues, Romantic Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-18
Updated: 2018-12-18
Packaged: 2019-09-22 08:11:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,138
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17056106
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Novaviis/pseuds/Novaviis
Summary: Wally knows that being in a relationship with a Vigilante isn't always going to be easy. Since leaving the Hero Life behind, he's faced  that fact over and over again. But after Dick stands him up for a date, he's finally reached his breaking point. They both have to decide whether this relationship is worth holding onto.





	Hold On (The Break)

**Author's Note:**

> God, it feels like ages since I've written Dick and Wally together. Feels good to be back.

The waitress passed him again. She didn’t say anything this time, didn’t ask Wally if he wanted a refill on his water, or another basket of bread – he’d already finished three at that point, drawing more than a few expressions ranging from awed to disgusted from the other staff. Instead, as she walked by his table, she glanced at him with pity and continued on. Wally watched her from the reflection of the window to his right. The seat across from him was empty, and the tea-light candle in the middle of the table was dwindling down to the wick. Wally exhaled sharply through his nose, feeling the fire eating away at his chest roar up into his head. He dragged his hand back through his hair, leaning his elbow on the table as he glanced between his phone and the window for the Nth time.

One hour.

Dick was supposed to be here one hour ago.

Now, Wally wasn’t one to criticize. Ironically, back before he’d retired, he always found himself running behind. Maybe it was a side effect of spending so much time with Barry. In any case, he was chronically late, and God knew Dick had come to expect that.

Thing is, he wasn’t late when it mattered. There was a big difference between getting to school five minutes tardy, and ditching your date in a restaurant for an hour.

Wally opened his phone again, checking for any messages he might’ve missed, making sure he had reception, but again, nothing came up. That was what annoyed him the most at this point. If Dick was going to be late, or couldn’t make it, the fucking least he could do was text Wally. Just give him a little heads up. Apparently, that was too much to ask.

And yeah, there was a little voice in Wally’s head that told him Dick was probably caught up in a mission, that he was on radio silence, that he’d show up with a million and one excuses. In the past, Wally would have accepted that. He’d be annoyed, and they’d bicker about it, before Wally would finally give in. This was a part of their life. Wally was a civilian (yes, he’d chosen this, but it still left a bitter taste in his mouth) and Dick was a goddamn Superhero. They were trying to make things work, but hiccups like these were going to happen, right?

But… fuck, this wasn’t just some date. They didn’t see each other often as it was, and with Wally about to head into exam season, and Dick completely taking over running the Team on top of his own exams, the precious time they did have was growing more and more slim. They might not have an opportunity to spend time together in person until summer. This was important, damn it. Wally had been looking forward to it all week, and Dick couldn’t even shoot him a text telling him he’d be late.

Well, fuck it. Wally was sick of waiting. The waitress came back again, and Wally got her attention. He damn well wasn’t going to take up a table for an hour and then not get anything.

It was another half hour before Wally left. He ordered himself a cheap cut of stake, devoured the entire thing, and more than once mourned the fact that he couldn’t order a beer out in public yet. Wouldn’t stop him from popping one open from his fridge when he got home, but that was beside the point. He finished up, tipped the waitress and apologized for taking so long. He was met with a pitiful smile and an assurance that it was fine. It’d really been that obvious that he’d been stood up, apparently. Forcing himself to smile in return, Wally got his jacket, grabbed a mint from the bowl at the front door, and headed out onto the street.

The evening was crisp, but not cold. April in Central California was fairly warm, but the wind coming in off the Bay was cool and clean. Wally took a moment to shove his hands into his jacket pockets, tilting his head back to take in a deep breath. Whatever. He’d go home and do some studying and get over it – because he could already feel a sense of doom creeping down his shoulders and winding its way around his rib cage, and if he thought about the consequences of this too much he knew he was going to lose it. Whatever was easier. With that in mind, Wally turned and started down the street.

Didn’t get more than two steps before he heard heavy foot fall running up the pavement behind him. Go fucking figure. Wally exhaled roughly and turned around. The expression on his face must’ve been harsh, because it was enough to stop Dick in his tracks just a ten feet down the sidewalk.

Dick’s grey dress shirt was wrinkled, and his hair was a mess, and it was all the more infuriating that he made it look good. The string lights strung up on the vine covered terrace of the restaurant’s patio illuminated them both in amber glow and harsh shadow. Wally still had one foot in the other direction.

Dick took a step forward. “Wally, I’m-“

“I don’t want to hear it,” Wally snapped.

Dick flinched back. He looked exhausted, like he hadn’t slept in days and just used the last of his energy to run after him – probably true, honestly. “Would you just hear me out?” he sighed.

Wally rolled his eyes. “Y’know what? Fine. What’ve you got for me this time?”

“It was a mission.”

“’Course it was.”

“Wally-“

“No. Keep going.” The spite in Wally’s voice surprised even him, but right now, he just couldn’t find it in himself to care.

Dick sighed again, scrubbing his hand over his face before he continued in a low whisper to avoid being overhead.  “There was an extra-terrestrial object landing just south of Ivujivik, Quebec. I went with the Team to check it out.”

Wally raised a critical brow. “You ditched me for Canada?”

“I didn’t-“ Dick stammered, trying to recover. “It wasn’t like that. There were rumours that it was A'monn A'mokk.”

“You could have sent any other senior member to go with them if you were concerned,” Wally hissed. “You could have sent Artemis, Mal, Conner, especially _M’gann!_ She would’ve been better to handle another White Martian!”

“It was short notice,” Dick pleaded.

Wally paused, his voice going dangerously low. “How short?”

Realising his mistake, Dick cringed. “A… couple hours ago.”

“Oh, for-“ Wally let the “fuck’s sake” hang in the air. He turned abruptly on his heel. Dick rushed forward, grabbing Wally’s shoulder.

“Babe, wait, I-“

“No, Dick!” Wally spun around, ripping his shoulder right out of his boyfriend’s grip. “I’ve _been_ waiting! How hard would it have been for you to let me know you weren’t going to make it, huh? One fucking text, Dick!”

Dick huffed, his own irritation mounting. “Wally, come on, it’s not that big a deal. We can still go inside and have dinner.”

Wally stopped. He’d been sucker punched a whole damn lot in his life, but this really took the cake. His stomach hardened, inverted, and twisted all at once, leaving him feeling a little more than nauseous. “Not that big a deal,” he repeated. “So what, you just decided it wasn’t worth it to let me know?”

Dick’s shoulders dropped. “I thought you’d understand.”

Wally inhaled, closing his eyes as he fought to keep his temper in check. “I’m done with _understanding_ , Dick,” he hissed. “Nothing ever changes. I’m sick of being a second thought in your life. If this,” he gestured between them, “isn’t worth your time, then-“ He shook his head, shoving his hand back in his pocket and turning away.

Dick, rooted to the spot, couldn’t seem to find the will to go after him. “Wally…”

Wally turned, walking backwards up the sidewalk as he shrugged at his boyfriend. “Just really don’t see how we can keep going like this.” He left it at that. Twisting around mid-step, Wally walked away.

 

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

 

It was three days before Dick texted him. Wally had been in the middle of a Physics II lecture, doing homework for his Electrochemistry class, thinking about how he had a closing shift at work tomorrow night and he’d been to cram time to study. In all, he probably shouldn’t have been on his phone, but that’s exactly what he’d been doing when the notification bubble popped up.

[Contact: Bird Babe]

I’m sorry. DG

Wally’s face twisted. He dismissed the notification with a swipe of his thumb. It wasn’t as if he’d spent every moment of the past three days pissed off, but he was still upright, still too hurt by Dick’s dismissal. He knew, in reality, that it was only a matter of time before he gave in and forgave his boyfriend, but he’d meant what he said the other night. He was sick of playing second fiddle.

Wally pocketed his phone and tried to focus back on his work. He’d been so caught up in the text that he hadn’t realized the Professor had let class out, and everyone had already begun filing out of the lecture hall. Wally shoved his books into his back, slinging it over his shoulder as he followed the crowd outside.

His phone vibrated in his pocket.

And again.

Wally groaned in annoyance. Once he’d slipped out the door and into the corridor, he shifted to the side and leaned against the wall to avoid blocking foot traffic. Never mind the fact that it took Dick so long to bother trying to apologize, but with the stress of exams mounting, he _really_ didn’t need all this drama at the moment. Wally kicked up a foot against the wall, one hand still in his pocket as he brought his phone out of the other.

Wally, talk to me. DG

Please. DG

Come on, we can’t just hold onto this forever. DG

Wally shook his head. The hoard of students filing out of the lecture hall was slowly dwindling down, leaving the corridor emptier by the second. Dick was right in a way, but damn it, he couldn’t just let this one go. His head was too scrambled between the state of their relationship and practical physics to deal with this right now. He doubted he’d be able to articulate himself anyway.

We can’t. I know. WW

Just need a bit of space right now, Dick. WW

It was cold, but Wally meant it. It wasn’t going to do either of them any good to get into it right now. Wally knew the start of an argument when he saw one – a wolf in apologetic clothing. He didn’t want to make this worse than it already was, and right now, his temper was a tethered arrow aimed straight through the heart of this relationship; he was cranky. Wally stuffed his phone back into his pocket, pushed off the wall, and continued down the corridor. His phone vibrated in his pocket. He flicked his thumb over the mute switch.

Maybe he was being petty. The thought crept up on him as he passed under a wide Spanish arch leading out into the plaza. It was, inarguably, a fucking gorgeous day. It was that lethal combination of blue sky, bright sun, and crisp, clean air that had him feeling so absolutely miserable with himself. Wally groaned, hand twitching toward his pocket, before he ultimately held off. He couldn’t let this one go just yet.

Whatever. He’d get some bullshit fruit smoothie and a sushi burrito, like a real Californian, and go for a jog to clear his head. He may not be able to use his powers anymore, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t stick true to his character and run from his problems.

 

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

 

Or maybe he really couldn’t. Wally went back to his place, and changed into jogging shorts, a light hoodie, and runners. With a water bottle, his phone, and a pair of earbuds, and went out to blow off some steam – or at least he tried to. He’d found in the past year and a half that doing a bit of running, at the average joe’s speed, helped work off a bit of the residual energy that his powers built up inside him without overdoing it. Still, there was always that pull to go after, to push himself until he was chasing sound, and the world dissolved into a watercolour blur around him. Sometimes he couldn’t help but go out into the more remote areas, stretches of rocky beach or park trails outside the city, and ride that ridge between running and _running_. Unfortunately, that usually ended in him inevitably overdoing it, and crashing with pain that left him seeing white.

Wally, worked up as he was, opted not to give himself cardiac issues tonight. The act of running itself was a release, a familiar motion that allowed him to tune out. However, he still found his chest sore and his body feeling like he’d gripped a live wire soaking wet. Temporary, he knew. The ache would be gone by the end of the night.

So, Wally dragged his tired ass back to his apartment. It was, even despite the familiar aches, a refreshing kind of exhaustion. He’d sleep well that night, at least. The brilliant day had faded into dusk, staining colour on the edges of the horizon. He hiked up the stairs, each step drawing a protest from his legs, and fiddled with his keys once he’d gotten to his unit.

The window looking out over the open-air walkway was glowing with a faint light behind the drawn curtain. Wally paused with his key in the door. He could remember specifically turning all the lights off before he left - utilities weren’t included in his rent, and it wasn’t cheap. The door was locked, though. Wally didn’t consider himself paranoid, but with the life he used to lead, he had enough sense to warrant caution as he pushed the door open and stepped inside.

It was the light from the kitchen that’d been left on. The rest of the apartment was still dark.  So, it was no surprise that he didn’t see the figure of his boyfriend sprawled out on his sofa right away. Dick had half his face pressed into the cushion, one arm dangling off the edge. His shirt rode up a little high, exposing a strip of his stomach and navel, and damn it, it shouldn’t have been as endearing as it was. He had the key Wally had given him on a lanyard, tossed onto the coffee table. Wally sighed, trying to close the door quietly behind him.

Dick stirred at the light click. He groaned at first, blinking his eyes open as he looked around himself, like he hadn’t realized he fell asleep in the first place. When his eyes landed on Wally at the front door, kicking his shoes off. “Shit- uh, hey,” he stammered, still trying to force the lethargy out of his heavy head.

Wally watched him, pulling his earbuds out and letting them dangle over his shoulder. He was sweaty, his shirt damp around the chest and pits, flushed and out of breath from his run, sore and exhausted, but – he just couldn’t find it in him to be pissed that Dick was here. “Hey,” he replied.

Dick swung his legs over the side of the couch, pushing himself upright with a grunt. “I’m sorry, I-“ he stopped to clear his throat. “I know you said you wanted space. I’ll leave if you want, I just… I had to at least try to make this right.”

Wally appraised Dick for a long moment. He was dressed in his civvies, just jeans and a black sweater he’d pushed up to his elbows – a far cry better than how he’d shown up for their botched date, in that infuriatingly effortless way Dick always seemed to pull off. Still, there was something off. Wally’s eyes narrowed. Maybe it was just a trick of the faint light… he flicked on the nearby light switch, bathing the room in warm fluorescence that had Dick squinting and blinking at the quick change.

A violent bruise coloured Dick’s left eye. Wally’s shoulders dropped with a rough exhale, hopelessly soft at the sight of his boyfriend hurt. “Jesus, Dick…”

Dick only ducked his head, offering a sheepish grin and a shrug. “Some Arms Dealer’s steroid hungry Goon got a lucky shot in.”

All Wally could do was shake his head as he crossed the room and stopped in front of his boyfriend. He raised his hand, fingers ghosting gingerly over the broken skin. Dick flinched back when he touched a particularly sensitive patch. Finally, Wally settled his palm on Dick’s cheek, just taking a moment to look him over. “You’re a real asshole, y’know that?” he said in his tenderest voice.

Dick offered a bashful smile. “So I’m told,” he laughed. Even still, his tone was nervous, unsteady. The smile faded in short order, replaced by sincerity as he laid his hand over Wally’s wrist. “Walls, I am so fucking sorry. You were right, this happens way too much. I don’t want to take you for granted. Ever.”

Wally pursed his lips. “Yeah well… a bit hypocritical of me to get pissed at you for not texting me, after I ghosted you all day.”

“I totally deserved it,” Dick leaned into Wally’s hand. “It won’t happen again. I mean it. Can I beg for another chance?”

Not giving Dick another chance hadn’t really crossed Wally’s mind, honestly. He’d been in a state of crisis over the future of their relationship from that point, had realized that things were going to go south real fast if things didn’t change, started worrying about a greener other side, but – he’d known even amid his anger that he’d give Dick another chance. He was just glad he wasn’t bitter about that anymore. Wally said nothing, opting instead for leaning in and kissing his boyfriend carefully.

Dick let out the breath he’d apparently been holding back in a rush of air, tension flooding from him as he threw his arms around Wally. Wally slipped his free arm around Dick’s waist, pulling him close as he was dragged deeper in. When Dick pulled back, he immediately shoved his face into Wally’s shoulder, angling his head so he wouldn’t fuck up his eye any more than he already had. “You kinda stink,” Dick mumbled, though he made no move to push away.

“Deal with it,” Wally said with a kiss to Dick’s temple. Dick laughed, finally giving Wally a light shove to escape his post-run stench. In spite of everything, Wally found himself laughing along with him – and it was easy. “Alright, alright,” he rolled his eyes with a grin, pointedly heading toward the bathroom for a shower.

The spray of the water was cool and cleansing. Wally stepped out ten minutes later, smelling of fresh body wash, and hair still slightly damp. He’d changed into sweats, forgoing a shirt, and letting the waistband sit just slightly off his hips – purely because he knew it drove Dick crazy, and he still had a bit of revenge left in him. When he came out, the windows were open, and Dick was in the kitchen, pulling a plastic bag with a few take out containers out of the fridge.

“You brought food?” Wally asked as he rubbed his palm over the left side of his chest.

Dick glanced back him from over his shoulder. “I wasn’t going to show up here to grovel empty handed,” he grinned, only to dim when he noticed Wally palming at his heart. Without a word about it, he opened up the cupboard to the right of the fridge and took out a bottle of antacids. He tossed them to Wally, who caught them with ease and a grateful smile.

Wally reached out Dick, grabbing a can of Coke from the refrigerator door. He cracked the can open, popped an antacid tablet into his mouth, and chased it down – probably not the most effective way to take it. Setting the can down on the table, Wally wound his arms around Dick’s waist from behind, resting his chin on the vigilante’s shoulder to peer down at the takeout containers. “What’d you get?”

“Stopped at that Sushi Burrito place you’ve been telling me about,” Dick said as he unpacked. “I got you the Chicken Tempura ones.”

Snorting a laugh, Wally pressed his forehead against the back of Dick’s neck. “You sure you’re not a mind reader?”

“Not the last time I checked, but I’ll keep you updated.”

With a sneaky kiss to the hollow behind Dick’s ear that earned him a shiver and a light elbow to the gut, Wally took his Styrofoam container and let go of Dick to open it up. He shifted over, leaning back against the countertop as he took a bite. Dick even got extra dipping sauce. If he had somehow managed to stay made when Dick had first showed up, he sure as hell wouldn’t have been able to keep it up with this. “Y’know,” Wally commented as he took a bite. ‘I’m starting to warm up to the Salmon Poke burrito.”

Dick’s head whipped toward him, eyes wide in world altering shock. “Wally West voluntarily eating Fish? Who the fuck are you?” Wally only took a swing from his Coke in response, sticking up his middle finger as he held the can. Dick dropped the mock betrayal. “We can trade one, then. That’s the flavour I got.”

Take out in hand, the two headed over to the couch and set up on the coffee table. Wally turned the TV on, not bothering to flip through to a channel just yet. The volume was still down low from when he’d fallen asleep on the couch watching Celebrity Hockey the night before. With the breeze flowing in from the open window, and night falling gently over them, he felt he could breathe easily for the first time since their fight. Settling in, Wally shifted on the cushion, throwing an arm over the back of the sofa as he turned his full attention to Dick. Didn’t take a genius to see that he wanted to say something.

Dick breathed out, taking a moment to gather his thoughts into coherent words. “I got the call a couple hours before we were supposed to meet up. Honestly, I could have just called in a favour, or let the Team handle it on their own, but… I just didn’t think about it. I figured I’d have enough time, so I didn’t bother texting you, and by the time we were out there, it was already too late. And… if I’m being honest, I didn’t think about how you’d feel if I didn’t make it in time. I just didn’t cross my mind, that’s the shittiest part,” Dick confessed. He leaned forward, bracing his elbows on his knees. “I honestly can’t apologise enough, Wally. You deserve better than that.”

Wally scratched the back of his neck, taking Dick’s words in stride. “I mean, I’m not gonna lie and say it’s fine, because… it wasn’t, y’know? But… this is our life, babe. You’re still out on the field, and I’m not. Shit like this is gonna happen.”

“It shouldn’t, though,” Dick insisted.

“Yeah, but it did. I figure as long as we deal with it, that’s enough, right?” Wally shrugged. “There’s no rule book on how to handle a vigilante-civilian relationship, babe. I don’t think there’s a set right or wrong way to do this. We’ve gotta figure out how to make it work for us.”

Dick held out for a moment longer before finally giving in with a nod. Wally reached out, tugging Dick up until he could fall against Wally’s side with his head on his shoulder. “Alright,” he said. “Our time together takes priority… unless it’s, like, a literal life-or-death situation.”

Wally wrapped his arm around Dick. “Fair enough.”

“And I’ll pull my head out of my ass long enough to text you next time something comes up,” Dick added. "So… we’re cool?”

Wally leaned down, catching Dick’s lips in a tender kiss. “Yeah,” he smiled against his mouth. “We’re cool.”

What they had was something worth holding onto. Rough patches were inevitable. This wasn’t their first breaking point, and it wouldn’t be their last. But the way Wally saw it, as they spent the rest of the breezy night just watching mindless TV all wrapped up in each other, so long as they could actually hold on, they’d be just fine.

**Author's Note:**

> Somehow, this one has turned out to be one of my favourite one-shots so far. I don't know, it just happened so organically, and it was so refreshing to write. I'm gettin' all sentimental here, but damn, I love them so much. 
> 
> Your comments, always, mean the absolute world to me. I really can't stress that enough. One of my New Years resolutions is to get better at replying to your lovely feedback, so I'll try to start here! 
> 
> And once again, you can always find me at the links below! I'm shit at replying, as I said, but never be afraid to drop in and say hi!  
> [「TUMBLR」](https://novaviis.tumblr.com) [「TWITTER」](https://twitter.com/novaviis)


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